Suspect Indicted in Child Porn Case

A 53-year-old man who brought three Albanian boys into the country, ostensibly to provide medical care, was indicted Friday on child pornography charges, authorities said.

Peter Martin Ebel, a U.S. citizen with no known permanent residence, was arrested about a month after he and the boys arrived at Los Angeles International Airport, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney.

He is being held without bail at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. Neither Ebel nor his lawyer could be reached for comment late Friday.

“He had this persona of philanthropy and providing care on a free basis for children,” Mrozek said.

The children were 8, 13, and 15 years old. The youngest and oldest children apparently did need minor medical care, Mrozek said. Ebel said the 13-year-old was to act as a translator, Mrozek said.

Ebel, who also uses the names Edward Alan Scott and James Congdon, was arrested Oct. 5 after an investigation by the U.S. Customs Service. Ebel had been on a Customs “watch list” for people entering the country, Mrozek said.

Child pornography was found in his possession, and photographs retrieved may point to one of the children having been used for pornographic purposes, Mrozek said.

The 13- and 15-year-old boys have been reunited with their parents in Albania. The 8-year-old boy’s mother came to Los Angeles and he will receive treatment at UCLA Medical Center, Mrozek said.